musaafir-e dasht

Received the following couplet as a text message from a cousin. Very aptly portrays the state of affairs in the present day world. I don't know who the poet is. مرنا تو اس جہاں میں کوئی حادثہ نہیں اس دور ناگوار میں جینا کمال ہے

An amazing bayaan by Shaykh Kamal urging us to reflect on our present conditions as a people. Hope in the Times of Despair Source: http://alsafh.wordpress.com/2010/08/20/hope-in-times-of-despair/

I have no words to "comment" on the barbaric act committed by people possessed by demons (yes, no normal person could do so in normal circumstances!) in Sialkot. Are we as nation on the verge of madness? Have we become so blind that we are unable to see any of the 'signs'? Do we intend to leave no stone unturned for incurring Allah's wrath? Was the earthquake not enough to pierce through the veils of ghaflah that we have covered our soul completely? Aren't the recent floods enough to hint at the fact that we have have crossed the limits of heedlessness. Imagine: the first 'ashara of ramadan-e kareem. The first ten days of enjoying the boundless rahmah of Allah SWT. And here we are, witnessing some of the most heinous crimes against humanity... I feel sick! See this: http://blog.criticmagazine.pk/2010/08/murder-of-two-brothers-in-sialkot-is.html. 

Yet another year passed silently. This year the 'August 14th' was sombre. For me. For Pakistan. There is so much suffering around that it simply takes one's attention away from personal sorrows. Everything, however, is inextricably linked with each other. Personal and community life that is. Last night when the clock struck twelve, I picked up Imam Ghazzali's (may Allah have mercy on him)  Remembrance of Death and Afterlife. It is one book that makes you weep every time you pick it up. I don't know why I picked it up last night. Probably the thought that I have already spent twenty five years of my life was way too overwhelming. Spent. Gone. Lost. All these words signify loss. There was so much I could do but I did not. There is so much I want to do but only time would tell if I am able to do all that. There were people who were perfectly healthy - alive and kicking - last year exactly on this very day. Today they are no more. Grave is surely the ultimate resting ab...

Just came across a wonderful description of what the following of the sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam actually means. A post on ashrafiya.com quotes Allama Syed Sulaiman Nadwi rahimahullah: "The following of Sunna (itaba’ e Sunnat) is not limited to changing the external appearance and attire only.The complete (kamil) following of Sunna entails that the thoughts, aspirations, emotional feelings and desires all become subservient to the Prophet’s (Allah bless him and grant him peace) taste (zauq). Tazkerah e Suleman, page 334" Is it not the case that when we truly love someone, we almost unconsciously become like them in all possible ways of conducting our lives? Our actions and thoughts begin reflecting our deep sense of association with the beloved. Love is probably the most inexplicable of all phenomena related to the lives of human beings...

source sabr is the only thing that palpably enlarges one's soul and adorns it with wisdom.